Preparing To Re-Open Your Business Post Pandemic’

The Covid-19 pandemic had (and continues to have) an unprecedented effect on businesses across the globe. In many cases, small companies have temporarily closed their physical premises and rely on online sales to stay afloat. However, you must put together a plan that allows you to reopen in the future. 

With that in mind, here are some tip tips for re-opening your business post-pandemic. 

• Install signage that promotes social distancing, encouraging customers to keep the appropriate distance from each other. Although this is quickly becoming a common practice, decals are useful for visualizing exactly how far away we should be from each other. 

• Set up hand sanitizing stations at regular intervals throughout the workspace that can be used by both employees and customers. They should ideally be installed by each entrance and exit, with signs encouraging customers to use them. 

• Ensure that a member of staff stands by the entrance to your premises so that you can track the number of people in the store at any given time. This can help promote good social distancing practices and is particularly useful if your premises is on the smaller side. Remember, the number of people you can have on the property at a given time depends on social distancing rules being followed. 

• Add PPE to the uniform of your employees. For example, you could acquire branded face masks that help keep them and others safe. 

• If your employees work behind a desk or till ensure that plastic barriers are installed to increase their safety and security. This also helps to keep customers on the other side of the screen safe. 

• Increase how often your property is cleaned. This is good practice to meet government-mandated hygiene standards but also works to keep yourself and others safe. 

• Ensure that employees have easy access to cleaning equipment, such as disinfectant wipes. This can help them keep their workstations clean and ease their peace of mind. 

• Continue to focus on your online presence, as you can continue to have success both in-person and online – they don’t have to be mutually exclusive. 

• Focus on making your services ‘contact-free’. For example, you could consider going cashless so that you don’t have to handle any physical money, which can easily carry germs. If you have a business that usually relies on this, such as a market stall, you could purchase a blue tooth cardreader. This will allow your customers to make transactions in just a few seconds and minimizes the contact you have with the customer. 

• Communicate clearly with your employees about any changes that may be occurring. Allow them the opportunity to voice their concerns and address them as soon as possible. 

• Accept the fact that workplace culture has changed significantly. For example, many companies are set to adopt a more flexible approach to working, allowing employees to enter the workspace and work from home in tandem. Consider whether or not this will work for your company, and put the appropriate plans in place.